This invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method and a recording medium and, more particularly, to an image processing apparatus and method which correct image data, and a recording medium.
Conventionally, an image read with a color device (digital camera or scanner) without using any color management system (CMS) tends to be an image poor in quality because the contrast is weak or saturation is low because of, e.g., inappropriate gamma adjustment. When such a poor-quality image is directly printed, only a printout with a considerably degraded image quality is obtained.
To solve this problem, before an input poor-quality image is printed, image data already stored in a storage device or the like is accessed and analyzed to obtain the feature of the image. When the image data is appropriately corrected in accordance with the feature of the image, the quality of the output image can be improved.
In the conventional correction method, however, correction parameters must be determined on the basis of the feature of the image obtained by image analysis, and the image must be corrected on the basis of the correction parameters. Hence, the speed of processing required for image output is largely reduced. Especially, when the resolution of image data becomes high to increase the data amount, the processing speed is extremely reduced.
To prevent the processing speed from decreasing due to an increase in data amount, data may be thinned. Although the processing speed can be increased with this method, the processing resolution becomes low, and appropriate correction processing cannot be performed, resulting in degradation in quality of the output image.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus and method which allow high-speed image correction processing by determining a correction parameter on the basis of image information added to an image to be corrected, and a recording medium.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus comprising: input means for inputting reduced image information of image data; analysis means for analyzing the reduced image information; setting means for setting a correction parameter of the image data on the basis of an analysis result; and correction means for correcting the image data on the basis of the correction parameter.
With this arrangement, the reduced image information of image data can be analyzed by the analysis means, a correction parameter based on the analysis result can be set by the setting means, and the image data can be corrected by the correction means on the basis of the correction parameter.
And it is another object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus and method which allow the user to arbitrarily set various conditions associated with image correction and provide a more suitable print environment, and a recording medium.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus further comprising instruction means for instructing one of automatic setting and manual setup for image data correction processing.
With this arrangement, the user can arbitrarily set various conditions associated with image correction when said instruction means instructs manual setup.
And it is another object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus and method which determine a correction parameter for image data held in a device and adds the parameter to the image data file in advance to allow high-speed image correction processing at the time of output, and a recording medium.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus comprising: holding means for holding image data in a predetermined file format; analysis means for analyzing the image data; calculation means for calculating a correction parameter of the image data on the basis of an analysis result; and addition means for adding the correction parameter to a file of the image data.
With this arrangement, image data held by the holding means can be analyzed by the analysis means, a correction parameter based on the analysis result can be calculated by the calculation means, and the correction parameter can be added to the image data file by the addition means.
The invention is particularly advantageous since appropriate correction processing can be performed at a high speed by determining, at a high speed, the correction parameter on the basis of the reduced image information of an image to be corrected.
Since the user can arbitrarily set various conditions associated with image correction, a more suitable print environment can be provided.
When the correction parameter is determined for image data held in a device and added to the image data file in advance, the image can be corrected at a high speed at the time of output.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.